World champion pitmasters open new Kansas City barbecue store. They’ll offer classes

Colorado’s Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions now has a store in Kansas City’s Northland.

The new location opened Monday in the Shops at Boardwalk, 8646 N. Boardwalk Ave. It will have a grand opening in March.

It sells smokers (it is the exclusive local dealer for Yoder Smokers from Yoder, Kansas), grills, pits and pizza ovens; supplies such as grate cleaners, fat separators and skewers; and rubs, seasonings, brines and injections.

It also has a frozen meat locker that could include items such as Snake River Farms wagyu brisket, Australian wagyu rib-eye, Midland Meat Co. wagyu ground beef, Certified Angus Beef prime brisket and Prairie Fresh ribs, bacon and pork shoulders.

It will offer classes by world champion pitmasters — from backyard basics to world champion competition techniques. The classes will run from 2 1/2 hours to a full day, and students will be able to taste the results.

Proud Souls Barbecue & Provisions Kansas City also will consult on outdoor kitchens.

World champion pitmaster Richard Fergola, of Fergolicious BBQ in Gardner, is director of marketing and public relations for Proud Souls. World champion pitmaster Kim Groneman, of Smoke on Wheels Competition BBQ in Shawnee, is the general manager of the new Kansas City store.

“It’s a very family-friendly barbecue store with a lot of expertise and experience in the barbecue world,” Fergola said. “We kind of take pride in taking care of the champion pitmasters and backyard pitmaster alike.”

Hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays.

Tony Roberts founded the company with a store in Denver in 2017, and also has a location in nearby Littleton. The name comes from the Proud Soul song by Jason Boland & The Stragglers. Roberts also competes under that name.

The Inc. 5000 put it at No. 1,579 for its 2022 listing “Meet the Companies Winning in a Time of Change — And Achieving Spectacular Growth,” saying it grew 402% over three years.